*Zbc ®l^ SQiiire of Dorset' 291 



And the reason was not far to seek. He was the 

 kindest and most courteous of gentlemen. He was 

 never known to utter a harsh word to his inferiors in 

 station, and his consideration for the feelings of even 

 the humblest labourer in his employ was displayed with 

 as much delicacy and tact as if he had been dealing with 

 the most sensitive lord or lady in the land. Then, again, 

 in the hunting-field he never gave way to those out- 

 bursts of coarse and vulgar abuse on which some Masters 

 rather pride themselves, when they have to rebuke a 

 member of the Hunt who has transgressed the rules of 

 the sport. There was none of that fierce ' reading of the 

 Riot Act ' heard from James John Farquharson when he 

 was in the field. His equanimity was never visibly 

 ruffled, not even when his favourite hound Wrangler 

 was killed by a kick from a horse whose rider had been 

 repeatedly warned to keep clear of the hounds. 



Perhaps, to some fiery spirits, such patience and forbear- 

 ance seemed to savour of weakness. There should be a 

 limit to human tolerance, they might have urged. But 

 there was no limit to the tolerance and patience of the 

 sweet-tempered ' Old Squire of Dorset,' and his people 

 loved him all the more on that account, aye, and re- 

 spected him all the more, too, for they knew that none 

 but a strong character could be capable of such self- 

 control. 



Then there was his punctuality. It has been well said 

 that there are two points by which you may infallibly 

 gauge the true gentleman — he keeps his appointments to 

 the minute, and he answers his correspondents by return 

 of post:. But the two things really come under one head 

 — consideration for the feelings of others — that is the 

 hall-mark of the true gentleman, and it was very 



